Discuss Representation of Status in Jane Eyre

Discuss the representation of status in Jane Eyre

By Jake Bromley

In the extract we were shown we see a variety of characters and their status and then shifts of status. At the beginning of the extract we see that the expensive manor that Jane’s aunt owns shows her High status as a form of authority and also shows her high social status implying that she comes from a wealthy background. The dark colour change when the scene changes shows Brockelhurst’s influence on Jane, this represents his status as a controlling character overruling Jane. When we first see the school from the outside it resembles a prison, as Jane enters the school we see her overwhelmed by its scale representing her status dramatically drops, as she no longer has any power. Later Jane is made to wear a school uniform showing the audience that her individuality has been completely removed and her status as a character is insignificant.

 

Throughout the extract there are many quick shots to keep the audience engaged with the action that allows the audience to feel fully immersed in the story.

 

The dialect of the characters shows their social statuses, Jane’s aunt and Brockelhurst are both well-spoken characters that speak firmly and clearly this shows their dominance over Jane suggesting their higher status.

 

Throughout the extract there are many close ups, this is so the audience is able to identify with Jane and empathize with her, another technique of this is when we see an over the shoulder shot looking over Jane’s shoulder and down onto her aunt, this places the audience into Jane’s ‘shoes’ and for the first time shows that Jane has the higher moral status than the other characters. There is a low shot the looks up at Brockelhurst when we first see his character; this shows his immediate dominance over the other characters. Later on in the extract we see a low angle shot looking up at Jane standing on a stool, with Brockelhurst, this shows that even though her character’s status is not very high, her moral status is above every other character.